1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a surgical stitching apparatus by which a stitch may be made during surgery remotely and/or endoscopically.
It is the object and purpose of such instruments to limit, to a necessary minimum, the injury to a body to be operated on for a particular surgery and further to facilitate work of the surgeon during the surgical procedures. This technique is known as minimal invasive surgery (MIC).
2. Description of the Prior Art
From EP 0174843 A2 a sewing and stapling apparatus is known which can be inserted into the body of a patient via an instrument channel and which can be operated from without. The sewing head of the apparatus is open at the side thereof. This is where a suction pipe ends by means of which the tissue can be drawn in so that a tissue fold is formed. A needle with a thread extending through the needle ear then moves parallel to the apparatus axis and penetrates the tissue. The thread carried along can be held so as to form a loop by means of a catching device. A knot is formed separately.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,027 discloses a surgical instrument as well as a method of suturing from a remote location or endoscopically. The jaw members of the instrument are hollow and, in closed state, form an ear through which the suturing thread can be pushed or moved. The jaw ends are so formed that, in spite of being hollow, they can pierce the tissue to be sutured.
After each suturing step, or the whole suturing procedure, a knot is formed, for example, at the outside, and is then moved inwardly for knotting. This, in any case, requires additional instruments.
Acceptance of such suturing instruments by the surgeon is determined essentially by the degree of rapid acclimatization and by an as easy and conflict-free operability as possible.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a stitching apparatus which can be inserted and operated through an instrument channel and by which surgical sutures on tissue or vessels can be performed and knots can be formed to a large extent without additional instruments. This object is solved by the features characterized in claim 1.